Carpets and other tufted products having script designs, varying pile heights, tip shearing effects, and other pattern effects have become increasingly popular as advancements in tufting machinery and/or systems have enabled improvements in the appearance of such graphic designs in such tufted articles. In addition, artificial or synthetic grass or turf products also have grown in popularity and demand, especially for use in indoor stadiums and in areas where grass fields are difficult to maintain due to weather conditions. Such synthetic turf products more recently have been formed as tufted products using synthetic turf yarns or filaments that simulate blades of grass tufted into a backing material, and with a fill material, such as ground up tires, sand, and/or other particulate matter, generally being applied between the tufts of the synthetic grass filaments to help support the tufts and provide cushioning.
The resultant synthetic turf or grass fabric further importantly must meet desired standards for cushioning, support, and other performance factors, as well as the amount of fill material used, especially where it is installed in sanctioned athletic fields, such as for professional, college, and high school sports facilities. For example, FIFA, the governing body for international soccer, has very specific standards for the amount of cushioning and support, as well as for ball bounce and the amount of fill that can be used in sanctioned synthetic turf soccer fields. There consequently is a continuing need to try to improve the cushioning, support and playability of synthetic turf fields, and to reduce the amount of fill or particulate matter needed to support the synthetic turf or grass filaments, which particulate matter often can get in players' eyes, etc., as it is disturbed during play, to improve the players' comfort and help reduce injuries as much as possible, and to reduce potential environmental concerns from such materials. It is also desirable to form such turf products with an appearance that simulates the look and feel of natural grass.
Accordingly, it can be seen that a need exists for a system and method for forming tufted products, including carpets and artificial/synthetic grass or sports turf products that address the foregoing and other related and unrelated problems in the art.